Belt-clamp.



W. J. GRINDEN.

BELT CLAMP.

APPLICATION nuzo MAR. 19. 1914.

Patented June 26, 1917.

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PATENT UFFIQE.

WILLIAM J. GRINDEN, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

BELT-CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 26, 1917..

Application filed March 19, 1914. Serial No. 825,888.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. GRINDEN, a citizen of the United States of America, and residing in the borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Belt-Clamps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to belt clamps and particularly to belt clamps for drawing together the ends of a belt to enable the latter to be laced or otherwise united while in potion on the pulleys. The particular object of my invention is to provide a device of this character which is comparatively light, quickly adjusted, rapid in drawup operation, strong, compact and at the same time inexpensive.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a broken perspective of a draw-up clamp in which my invention is em bodied in one form;

Fig. 2 is a perspective of the draw-up elements of the clamp detached;

Fig. 3 is a perspective of a detail; and

Fig. 4 is a cross section through one of the clamping cross heads.

In the form here shown the present drawup device comprises-two cross-head clamps A and B of any suitable character to hold the adjacent ends of the belt, together with draw-up means C and D extending between said cross-head clamps, said draw-up means comprising a flexible member arranged in extension of a draw-up screw and connecting the cross-head clamps at each end of the latter.

Each cross-head clamp A and B comprises upper and lower clamp bars 5-6 the meeting faces of which are preferably tongue and grooved as at 7 (Fig. 4c) or otherwise shaped to secure a firm grip upon a belt end passed between the same. These bars are perforated in register on opposite sides of thebelt space to permit the bolts 88 to pass therethrough. Bearing plates 10-11 are preferably set into the outer faces of the cross bars, and each lower plate 11 has a non-circular perforation to receive the similarly shaped head 12 of the bolts 8 and 9. Wing nuts 13 screwed upon the threaded upper ends of the bolts, bear against the plates 10 and serve to draw the two bars 5 and 6 together to clamp the belt inserted therebetween.

These bars 5 and 6 are'rabbeted at their outer ends to form ways 14 for the bearing blocks 15 and 16 through which pass respectively the high pitch screws 17 and the chain 18 of the draw-up devices C and D. The block 15 has a hollow body portion provided with perforated end plates 19 overlapping the sides of the cross bars 5 and 6. A wing nut 20 threaded on the screw 17 and prevented from backing off by the pin 21, bears against the outer end plate 19 during the operation of the clamp and thus saves the wooden cross bars 56 from wear. The block 16 also comprises a hollow body through which the chain 18 passes and the outer end plate 22 is provided with a narrow slot 23 opening to the -chain runway 21 and of a width suiiicient to receive a link inserted edgewise, but not of sufficient width to permit the next adjacent link, lying in a plane at right angles thereto, to pass therethrough. It is thus possible to pull up the major portion of the slack of the belt, after the clamps A and Bhave been adjusted, by simply pulling the chains 18 through the runways 24c and then shifting them laterally to engage links thereof in the slots 23. The remaining slack may then be readily and quickly removed and the belt sufliciently tensioned, by rotating the wing nuts 20 on the draw-up screws 17. The blocks 15 and 16 may be retained in position in any, suitable manner. Keeper pins 25 on chains 26 are here shown passing through the ends of bars 5 and 6 beyond the blocks.

When the belt has been tensioned so that the ends between the clamps A and B are in position to be fastened together, it is convenient to have some support for these belt ends to rest upon. For this purpose, I have arranged straps 27 beneath the lower cross bars 6 to support a board 28 which may be readily adjusted in position beneath the clamps. As here shown these straps are integral with the plates 11 through which the bolts 8 and 9 pass, and both are readily formed from a strip of sheet metal struck to shape.

The length of the chain 18 is such that the screws 17 may be drawn out of the blocks 15 and laid fiat against the clamps A and B when the device is not in use, thus forming a compact bundle, readily carried from place to place or conveniently stored about the shop without danger of injury and in this respect the device is a great improvement over clamps of the type provided with long screw rods extending between the two cross head clamps. In the latter case unless the screw rods are stored perfectly flat they become warped and the screw nut binds as it travels thereon. Obviously the chain here shown may be replaced by any suitable flexible member which may be drawn through the guide blocks 16 to take up the slack and then secured so that the belt may be tensioned by the high pitch draw-up screws 17. Various other modifications of construction will readily suggest themselves and I do not limit my invention to the precise details shown.

I claim as my invention 1. A. draw-up belt clamp comprising a pair of cross clamps for holding the belt ends, and draw-up means extending between said clamps, said means comprising a drawup screw engaging one of said clamps and a flexible member attached at one terminus to said screw and passing therefrom freely through the second cross clamp, together with a fixed device carried by said second cross clamp and with which said flexible member is engaged only after it has been tensioned to take up the initial slack in the belt and by which it is then fixedly held, together with means on the draw-up bolt by which the latter may be then operated to complete thetensioning 0f the belt.

2. A draw-up belt clamp comprising a pair of cross clamps for holding the belt ends and draw-up means extending between said clamps, said means comprising a drawup screw engaging one of said clamps and a chain secured at one end to said screw and extending therefrom to the second cross clamp, a chain guide carried by the second cross clamp and having a free runway for the chain and a communicating holding-slot into which a link in the chain may be laterally thrust to retain the chain after it has been tensioned to take up the initial slack in the belt, together with means on the drawup bolt by which the latter may be then operated to complete the tensioning of the belt.

3. A draw-up belt clamp comprising a pair of cross clamps for holding the belt ends, and draw-up means extendingbetween said clamps, said means comprising a guide held in each cross clamp, one of said guides having a tapped passageway therethrough, and the other having a chain freeway with communicating late 'al holding-slot, a drawup screw threaded into said tapped guide, a chain passing through the other guide and having a terminal connection to the adjacent end of said draw-up screw by means of which the initial slack in the belt may be taken up and the initial tension held by moving a chain link into said holding-slot,

and means on the draw-up screw bearing against the opposite face of its carrying cross clamp and serving to operate said draw-up screw to complete the tensioning of the belt.

4. A draw-up belt clamp comprising a pair of cross clamps for holding the belt ends and draw-up means extending between said clamp, said means comprising a pair of draw-up screws engaging one of said clamps at its opposite ends beyond the belt area, a chain extending from the inner end of each screw to the corresponding ends of the other cross clamp, chain guides carried by the latter and through which said chains pass, said guides each having a freeway for the chain and a communicating holding-slot into which a link in the chain may be laterally thrust to retain the chain after it has been tensioned to take up the initial slack in the belt, together with means on the draw-up bolts by which the latter may be operated to complete the tensioning of the belt.

5. In a draw-up beltclamp, a pair of cross clamps each comprising upper and lower clamp bars shouldered at their ends to afford a seat for guide members, in combination with independent guide members for a drawup screwdevice, said guide members having end flanges lying on oppositesides'of the clamp bars, substantially as described.

6. In a draw-up belt clamp, a pair of cross clamps each comprising upper and lower clamp bars shouldered at their ends to afford a seat for guide members, in combination with independent guide members for a draw-up screw device, said guide members having end flanges lying on opposite sides of the clamp bars, together with means for securing said guide members in said seats.

7. In a draw-up bolt clamp, a pair of cross clamps and means on each of said clamps for-supporting a workboard between the same. 7

8. In a draw-up belt clamp, a pair of cross clamps and straps beneath the same for supporting a work board between the same.

9. In a draw-up'belt clamp, a pair of cross clamps, clamping screws passing through each clamp, bearing plates on each clamp forsaid screws, and straps integral with said bearing plates. and forming a support for a work board extending between the clamps, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. I WILLIAM J. GRINDEN.

WVitnesses: -WM. B. BENNETT, O. E. ZENKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for fivecents eaeh, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

